The St. Louis Vipers continued to build their venomous arsenal Saturday night as the third round of the National Roller Hockey League (NRHL) was held and another top-tier player was added to the fold.
PJ Kavaya, a defenseman who currently skates in Roller Hockey Ligue Elite in France, was selected by the Vipers with the League’s twelfth overall pick in the draft that continues for the next four Saturdays.
The Vipers, who last appeared with Roller Hockey League International in 1999, begins play at Family Arena in May. St. Louis is one of four teams that comprise the NRHL and will have 28 games on the docket in a campaign that runs through August.
Alongside the Vipers, the NRHL also sports the Detroit Dragons, the Grand Rapids Warthogs and the Port Huron Yeti. By design, St. Louis will always possess the fourth pick in the weekly draft.
Kavaya, 33, played for Team USA at the World Skate World Cup in Barcelona, Spain last July. As the team claimed gold medals in their six-game stretch, Kavaya scored three goals and one assist.
The six-foot, 174-pound back liner currently plays for Fous du Bitume Villeneuve, the defending champions of Roller Hockey Ligue Elite. His team currently sits in second place in the standings within the ten team league.
In eleven games this season, Kavaya has scored seven goals and five assists for 12 points. He is currently in his eighth season in Ligue Elite.
The Californian native played ice hockey at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and spent his youth competing in the North American Hockey League.
The Vipers chose high-scoring inline defenseman Shane Fox and ECHL All-Star forward Jack Combs with their opening picks. The final NRHL draft weekend will be held February 29 and a two-round supplemental draft will commence March 28.
Former St. Louis Blue Perry Turnbull, who coached the Vipers when they won the RHLI Murphy Cup Championship in 1999, helms the bench for their 2020 re-launch.
More information on the Vipers, which includes season ticket packages, can be found at their official website.
Arch City Media will be providing weekly updates of the Vipers’ draft selections over the next five Sundays.
By trade, he is a six-time, regional Emmy Award-winning news videographer/editor for KTVI/KPLR-TV. By hobby, he is a writer for Arch City Media, dating back to February 2014. Emphasis is on featuring and promoting local women's sports, but will cover anything that is not reported by traditional media outlets. Also a contributor to local concert reviews.
